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Hillsdale College Expands Classical Liberal Arts Curriculum

  • 03/07/17

HILLSDALE, MI – Hillsdale College announces the addition of a new course, "Classical Logic and Rhetoric," to the core curriculum required for all graduates. The new course will be fully implemented in fall 2017.

"Logic and rhetoric were absolutely essential elements of intellectual development in the West until about 150 years ago," says Dr. David Whalen, Hillsdale College provost. "The addition of this course to our core classical liberal arts curriculum is an attempt to recover a part of higher education that has been lost in recent history."

Students will read texts from Plato, Aristotle, Cicero and Quintillian, as well as modern pieces dealing with the rhetoric of literature, science, economics, and more. Dr. Kirstin Kiledal, professor of rhetoric and public address, and Dr. Jeffrey Lehman, associate professor of education, designed the course.

"It's going to remind us that we're all rhetoricians," says Kiledal. "Whether we are scientists, mathematicians, or teachers, we all have to communicate, all have to persuade."

The core curriculum is an essential part of the classical liberal arts education offered at Hillsdale College, and vital to a robust college experience. During most of the first two years, each student is immersed in the study of history, politics, the sciences, fine arts, literature, and economics. Hillsdale is also one of the few colleges in the country to require every student to take a course on the U.S. Constitution.

"The core curriculum at Hillsdale gives our students a rich and full understanding of the things worth knowing," adds Dr. Whalen. "It helps develop a disciplined and informed mind in order to live a naturally good life. This course is a fitting contribution to that core."

For more information on Hillsdale College's core curriculum and its benefits, visit www.hillsdale.edu.

About Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College, founded in 1844, has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an educational outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 3.5 million.

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